Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 473 Hunting
However, when Zhao Zhen found out about this place, he was naturally unwilling to give up.

After discussing with everyone, we decided to go and investigate.

On the second day, Zhao Zhen brought Bao Xu, Yan Shude and more than ten good fighters, all disguised as hunters, and entered Gaoping Mountain. They went straight to this place without saying anything on the way.

After walking for two hours, they were getting tired. Yan Shude pointed ahead and said, "Sir, there is a village over there."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen looked up and saw a faint trace of smoke from cooking behind the woods in the distance.

Zhao Zhen said, "Let's hurry a little further and ask for some hot soup to go with the meal."

After passing the woods, we saw a small mountain village, which looked to be about 70 to 80 households. In front of it was a medium-sized manor with dozens of tiled houses, some gardens and pavilions, and a clear stream in front of the gate.

Standing at the gate was a woman in her fifties, dressed neatly and looking like a noble lady, holding a little maid and looking around. When the woman saw them, she held the little maid a few steps closer and asked, "Where are you from? You don't look like local hunters."

Zhao Zhen asked, "Madam, how do you know that we are not from this place?"

The woman said, "All the hunters here know my family. You and I are strangers, and I have never seen you before. Are you here for this golden-patterned unicorn leopard in the mountains?"

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "I heard that a leopard of a different species appeared here. I thought I could hunt it and sell it for a high price. Madam, since you have heard of this beast, do you know where it is?"

The woman shook her head: "How would I know? I just heard it from my son."

"Judging from the way you talk and dress, you don't seem like an ordinary farmer. May I ask where your family is from?" Zhao Zhen asked.

The old woman said, "My late husband, Tang Tianzhu, was also a brave general who made many achievements on the frontier. He was later appointed as the commander of Longma Camp, but died of illness while in office. Because my late husband was upright, he offended many people. After his death, I had to move away from Longma Camp with my son. When we passed by this place, we saw the beautiful mountains and rivers, so we decided to build a house here."

"So that's how it is. Madam is also an official. I wonder if the young master is here?"

"I'm going into the mountains to hunt now. Here I come."

Zhao Zhen followed the direction pointed by the old woman and saw a strong man in the distance, wearing leopard-skin pants and tiger-skin bodysuit, holding a five-pronged fork with a wolf on it. Behind him were a dozen farmhands, holding some hunting tools and carrying some insects and ants, approaching together.

"Mother, why did you go out when it was cold?"

The old woman scolded, "I never go out." Then, pointing at Zhao Zhen and his group, she said, "They are here to inquire about the unicorn leopard. You should talk to them and get rid of this beast as soon as possible, so that the villagers don't have to live in fear every day."

The big man handed the fork to the farmhand, stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "I am Tang Meng, where are you from?"

Without waiting for Zhao Zhen to speak, Bao Xu suddenly asked, "Do you know Fan Chenglong?"

Tang Meng hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is it Fan Chenglong from Yizhou Prefecture?"

Bao Xu nodded and said, "He is now the commander of the troops in Fei County, Yizhou, and he is my colleague."

The old woman said, "You are an old friend. Please go to the farm and rest."

Everyone went to the farm and sat down, exchanged names, and greeted each other again. Before Tang Meng and his mother could speak, Zhao Zhen first asked Bao Xu: "Brother, how did you know that Brother Tang Meng knew Fan Chenglong?"

Bao Xu said, "Sir, I once drank with Brother Fan Chenglong, and we talked about some interesting things. Brother Fan Chenglong once said that his family used to run a mule and horse business, and they were often looked after by Tang Tianzhu, the chief of Longma Camp."

"He had seen the young master uproot an apricot tree in the garden that was as thick as a bowl. Just now, I heard the old woman talking about the Dragon Horse Camp, and I saw Brother Tang Meng picking up the green wolf with a fork as if it were nothing. This reminded me of it."

Zhao Zhen said: "I never thought there was such a connection."

After hearing this, the old lady said, "We never thought that my husband would also come to hunt unicorn leopards."

Zhao Zhen said, "To be honest, old lady, I heard that there was a ginseng fairy in the mountains when I came here, and later I heard about the one-horned leopard."

Tang Meng said, "Sir, I have lived here for a long time and have never heard of any immortals. This unicorn leopard was only recently discovered. Pu Hong, who came to cause trouble, wanted to hunt it and even came to the farm to invite me to go with him. I looked down on him because he was Gao Yanei's guard and declined. Sir, if you are interested in hunting, I am willing to help you with all my heart."

The old lady also said, "My dear, my child has supernatural powers since he was young, and has learned martial arts well, but he refuses to study and likes to hunt in the mountains. If you don't abandon me, I will let this child follow you out of the mountains."

Tang Meng said, "Mom, how can I leave you alone in the mountains?"

The old lady scolded: "You are married now, but you spend all day wandering around in the mountains. What future can you have?"

Zhao Zhen said, "It is inconvenient for the old lady to stay here. Moreover, if we hunt this unicorn, I am afraid that Gao Yanei of Xingren Prefecture will not give up. If we stay here, I am afraid it will be a bit troublesome. The old lady should pack up her wealth and return to Liangshan with us. If brother Tang Meng has the ability, he will definitely be the commander of a battalion."

The old lady was delighted when she heard this: "My son, why don't you show us your martial arts skills so that you can watch." Tang Meng got up quickly and took out a strange weapon from the house.

When Zhao Zhen saw it, he said, "Brother, this weapon is rare."

Tang Meng said, "Sir, I am impatient to ride a horse. I like to fight on foot the most. I can go up and down the slopes and chase wild beasts. I have learned all the martial arts on foot. Please look at my weapon. It weighs 65 catties and is called Yanyue Tongliu. This weapon is the best for fighting on foot. Even spears and broadswords cannot penetrate it."

Let's talk. Tang Meng moved his hands around and danced in the courtyard, crossing his shoulders and covering his head, performing every move very skillfully.

Zhao Zhen and others watched and applauded.

That day, the old lady hosted a banquet and entertained Zhao Zhen and his entourage at her home.

On the second day, after cleaning up, Tang Meng took three or five hunters from the village and took Zhao Zhen and others to look along the gravel slope. Along the way, Tang Meng described this place in detail and shared his experience of hunting unicorn leopards in recent days.

As expected, this unicorn leopard was active at night. Everyone returned to Tang Mengzhuang and rested for half a day.

At night, leaving Zhao Zhen and Yan Shude with several soldiers to guard, Tang Meng and Bao Xu took the hunters from the village and led a yellow cow up the mountain. They drove it into the canyon and waited in ambush at the leeward end.

At three o'clock in the morning, there was a burst of cow mooing in the valley, and then it became quiet. Tang Meng, holding a steel fork, took the lead and ran towards the source of the mooing sound.

I saw a unicorn leopard biting the chest and abdomen of a yellow cattle. Hearing the noise, it left the cattle in its mouth and stood up.

A 20-foot-long leopard took one look at Tang Meng, who was frozen there, and pounced on him. In an instant, it was about to pounce in front of him. Tang Meng shouted loudly and threw the iron fork in his hand at the unicorn leopard.

The unicorn dodged to the side, slowing down its momentum, and pounced on him. Its two front paws rested on Tang Meng's shoulders, and it opened its mouth to bite. Tang Meng took advantage of the situation and rushed to the leopard's chest and abdomen.

The leopard's two front paws happened to be hanging on Tang Meng's back. Tang Meng's two iron arms came out from under the leopard's ribs and desperately grabbed the leopard's spine. He pulled his legs together and clamped the leopard's waist. Tang Meng used all his strength to hug the leopard to his chest and hid under the leopard, not daring to let go.

The leopard opened its big mouth stained with cow blood and tried to bite, but it couldn't reach him for a moment. It used its limbs and claws to dig around, but couldn't throw Tang Meng off its chest and abdomen.

It’s a long story, but it only takes a moment.

When Bao Xu and others came closer, they saw the leopard, which was being held tightly by Tang Meng, lying on its side with its mouth open to reach Tang Meng.

Seeing this, Bao Xu dared not hesitate, and swung the broadsword in his hand, hitting the unicorn's head with the back of the sword. The leopard roared after being hit hard, and was still struggling, but Bao Xu hit it twice more, and the leopard's eyes bulged out, its limbs twitched, and it was obviously dead.

Tang Meng gasped and struggled to get up from under the leopard. A group of hunters rushed forward and pulled Tang Meng out.

Bao Xu was afraid that the leopard would not die, so he slashed it twice more, then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did he turn around to look at Tang Meng, only to see Tang Meng collapsed on the ground. It was true that in that instant, he had used up all his strength, and his hands and feet were limp.

When Bao Xu saw this, he took something out of his arms and stuffed it into Tang Meng's mouth.

As soon as Tang Meng ate it, he felt his strength gradually returning, and asked, "Brother, what did I eat?"

Bao Xu said, "Han Emperor's dried apricots, these are given by the master, they can give us strength, we all carry three or five with us, just in case. When we return to Liangshan in a few days, the master will naturally give us some. Are you injured, brother?"

Tang Meng said: "They are just scratches, nothing serious."

Seeing that Tang Meng had recovered his strength, Bao Xu finally took a closer look at the unicorn leopard under his feet.

Tang Meng also stood up and stepped forward, asking a group of hunters to tie up the leopard and carry it down the mountain together with the ox that had been bitten to death.

Before dawn, everyone rushed back to the manor. Amid the noise, Zhao Zhen got up to see what was happening. He saw a two-meter-long unicorn leopard lying in a pile in the courtyard.

world log
Brocade Patterned One-Horned Leopard (Level 4, a tiger shark can transform into a one-horned leopard after three hundred years of cultivation. It is extremely powerful and can prey on tigers and leopards. Its fur does not get wet in water, and it has a crystal horn on its head. It is neither copper nor iron, but is extremely hard and sharp, better than diamond. Soak it in sesame oil for three days, and it will become as soft as mud, and can be molded into the shape of a sword at will. Soak it in water to remove the oil, and it will become extremely hard and sharp. It can become a crystal heavenly soldier, chopping copper and iron like cutting bamboo and wood.)
When Zhao Zhen saw this, he couldn't help but ask, "This leopard is much bigger than an ordinary big beast. How did you hunt it in one day?"

After listening to this, Bao Xu told Zhao Zhen how Tang Meng lured the leopard and how he captured it. Zhao Zhen was amazed after hearing this.

Yan Shude said, "Sir, since we have hunted this unicorn, we should not stay here for long. We will rush back to Fan County at dawn."

Zhao Zhen pondered and said, "Brother Tang Meng, we need to pack up all the valuables at home. I'm afraid it will be difficult to set off tomorrow. Besides, the leopard we hunted has never been seen by others."

"Brother Tang Meng, please take some gold and silver and give it to the farmers who have contributed. Tell them not to spread the news. We will tell them after we leave. Also, if they are interested in going to Liangshan, they can come with us. I will give them the land and houses."

(End of this chapter)